Bellaire resident nabs robbery suspect in neighborhood

A Bellaire man didn't wait for police to arrive to nab a robbery suspect in his neighborhood Monday. Rick Melartin apprehended the suspect himself – with the help of his .50-caliber handgun, KPRC-TV (Channel 2) is reporting:

Melartin's neighbor had just been robbed at gunpoint as he was getting into his car (in the 5300 block of Holly Street). The robber got distracted and the victim grabbed his gun and screamed.

Melartin called 911 and came outside with his pistol. The robber took off without his gun and headed for an 89-year-old neighbor's backyard.

Melartin told the suspect to stop or he would shoot, KPRC reports. Then he fired his pistol into the ground and held the robber until police arrived.

The suspect, Joseph Anthony Smith, 20, of Houston, is behind bars at the Harris County Jail under $30,000 bond, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.

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